Promise to a Dream
by Osanagokorochi
Summary: It's been a year since Chihiro moved to her new home, and though she is known for her active imagination, her dreams have never before been so insistant. They seem to be trying to tell her something. Something long forgotten. A promise to a dream.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hello, all! Look—I've got a new fic up and running! This time it's about Spirited Away. Guess I couldn't hold off the pull of Miyazaki-sama for long, could I? Sorry if any of you are waiting on the continuance of 'Lorraine,' but those of you out there who are artists of any kind will know what I mean when I say that a muse is a fickle thing. As to those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, have no fears; nothing of what I say here bears any importance to those who do not look at it as so. And as for those of you who STILL think I'm a psychopath, poo on you.

General disclaimer; though I admire Miyazaki-sama greatly, I in no way have the rights to his works, and this includes any and all things associated with Spirited Away. Other than that, I hope you all enjoy the story. I'd like it if you'd review, if only for constructive criticism, but I do know that of those who read fanfiction online, less than half actually review, so I won't get my hopes up.

See you at the next update!

* * *

Chapter One

_I was running down a long hallway. Ahead of me, I could hear my mom and dad calling for me—looking for me. But I had a funny feeling that it had actually been them who had been lost; not me. _

_There was something behind me, but I didn't know what. I suppressed the urge to stop and turn around, but I didn't know why. I just had to keep running, and I couldn't look back. _

_The end of the tunnel was getting closer. I could see my parents now. Or at least it looked like them—but they had masks on. Mom's mask was that of a frog, and Dad had a Noh mask on. _

"_Come on, Chihiro," he said, holding out his hand. "It's time to go home."_

"_That's not her name," Mom said from behind her mask._

_His hand suddenly jerked, and began filling with gold nuggets. His palm was soon overflowing with the shining lumps, and as they spilled over, they transformed into little soot balls before they hit the ground. I watched as they flowed around my feet, bumping into my shoes, and floated off down the tunnel—the way I had come._

_As soon as I looked up, I knew I had made a mistake. My chest seized up, but before I could scream, the source of my fear burst from the tunnel.

* * *

_

"Nooo!"

I flung my arms up in front of my face defensively, not knowing what it was I was defending myself against—I could never remember what it was that scared me so—but knowing that whatever it was; it was going to hurt me.

Opening my eyes cautiously, the dream faded slowly away until my eyes adjusted to the light shafts that splashed into my room in between the shutters that hung over my bedroom window. The echoes of my own scream slowly faded from my mind until it was overtaken by birdsong and what sounded faintly like someone moving around downstairs.

"Chihiro!" I heard my mom call. "Breakfast is ready!"

Taking another deep breath to cleanse myself of the nightmare, I sighed with relief.

"Coming, Mom!" I called back.

* * *

"Are you okay, Chihiro?" 

I looked up from my lunch to find that my two good friends had paused halfway through their own bentos to look at me.

"Yeah," Nakashi echoed Tome's worried tone. "You've been looking really tired lately. Are you doing all right?"

"I'm fine," I smiled back at them. "It's just this stupid dream I've been having lately; I haven't been getting a lot of rest at night."

"What kind of dream?" Nakashi asked.

"Is it like the one with that creepy spider guy?" Tome added.

I grimaced at the memory of that one—it was a nightmare I'd had around the time I'd first met Tome; about a spider with an old man's head who was had wrapped me in sweet-smelling grass and was going to grind me into a powder.

"No," I said. "Not like that one, but kind of similar. This one had a tunnel…and my Mom and Dad were there, except they were wearing masks, and if I looked back, something would try to hurt me and wake me up."

"Wow, Chihiro," Nakashi said. "You have some of the strangest dreams."

"I know! Why do you think that is?"

"Maybe it's because you've got the most active imagination of anyone I've ever met?" Tome suggested.

We all laughed.

* * *

"See you guys tomorrow!" I called over my shoulder to Tome and Nakashi as I began walking home. They both waved back and headed in the direction of their homes. As I turned around, I groaned at the hill ahead of me. Why did my parents have to move us into the house at the very end of the only uphill road in the whole town? 

I was panting by the time I was halfway up. I watched grimly as I passed by puddle after puddle of water that had formed after the rain the night before, my tongue dry from exertion. A wind finally picked up as I reached more level ground. I sighed blissfully in the cool breeze.

"That's much better!"

The wind rippled over the puddles, and fragments of reflected light danced in the water. I was overcome with a sudden feeling of déjà vu, but it was gone as soon as it had come, and took the wind with it.

"Hey!" I called out. "Don't stop!"

I watched as the breeze whipped ahead of me like an invisible ribbon, trailing old leaves and bits of dust.

"Wait!" I called after it. "Wait for me!"

I took off at a run, my worn sneakers slapping against the smooth pavement. In the final stretch, the road completely flattened out, and I spotted the blue house at the end of the road, right before it reached the dead end that marked the beginning of the woods.

Stretching my arms out on either side, I imagined I was flying through the air; clouds under my feet instead of concrete, and instead of air between my fingers, my hands….

I felt as though I had been physically shocked. But I didn't have any time to wonder about why before I really was sailing through the air. I realized only after my knee made contact with the pavement that I had been too distracted to notice the crack in the road.

"Ouch!" I wailed, rolling over and wincing as I pulled my leg up to my chest to inspect the injury. It wasn't that bad—just a scratch, really—but I was bleeding, and it still hurt to walk. At least I wasn't that far from home, now.

"Stupid old road," I grumbled aloud.

The wind picked up again, and I heard it soar through the trees and over the puddles again; as cool and crisp as the last one had been.

"A little late for that, isn't it?"

_And now I'm talking to the wind, _I thought bitterly._ Just great.

* * *

_

AN: That's all for now. Please look forward to the next update in the near future. I promise it won't take long.

AN2: Updated 04.10.06


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Lookie! The second chapter! And so soon! Am I going insane? I don't know!

I do hope to keep up this rapid-fire method of updates for a while, though. Don't know how well it'll work out, considering my level of motivation (I swear to you—I am one of the least motivated people you will ever meet), but considering I have at least one other chapter set up for posting, and the layout for the rest at my fingertips, you can all look for a similar update tomorrow. And that's where it's going to start getting a little interesting.

Enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to please R&R! Thanks in advance!

* * *

Chapter Two

"I'm home!" I called as I opened the door.

I heard footsteps come from the kitchen, and Mom stepped out into the hall.

"Welcome home," she said. "What did you do at school to—?"

She stopped when she saw that I was limping.

"Oh, Chihiro!" she exclaimed, rushing over. "What happened to your knee?"

"Just a scrape," I said. "Nothing serious."

"I'll go get the first aid kit," she said, bustling off to the bathroom. "You go sit down."

This made too much sense to argue with, so I succumbed to her mothering, choosing a chair at the dining room table and setting my book bag on the ground beside me. Mom soon came back in with the white box that sported a red cross on its lid.

"Really, Chihiro," Mom scolded half-heartedly as she cleaned the wound. "You must be more careful—it's not proper for a woman to have scars."

I winced at the sting of the disinfectant, but I didn't whine. A while ago, this would have surprised my mom—she told me that I used to whine all the time before we moved to our new place. Both she and Dad agreed that the move had been good for me. I had argued back then that it wasn't the move that changed me, but I couldn't quite remember now what my argument had been, so I just agreed with them whenever they mentioned it.

"Were you daydreaming again?"

I laughed nervously and scratched at the back of my neck.

Mom sighed and placed a large band-aid on my knee.

"There," she said. "Good as new."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, getting up and swinging my pack over my shoulder. "I'm gonna go upstairs and do my homework now."

"I suppose when you say 'homework' you really mean 'talking on the phone with your friends'?" she asked, hands on her hips, the hint of an amused smile on her lips. "The Chihiro _I_ know wouldn't be doing homework on a Saturday afternoon."

I flashed her another smile and sped upstairs.

* * *

"So both you _and _Nakashi are going to be busy all day tomorrow?" I demanded of Tome, who was on the other line.

"I'm sorry, Chihiro," Tome said, her voice truly apologetic. "But my parents have been planning this trip for weeks, and Nakashi can't help it if her aunt is paying a surprise visit from Nagoya!"

I flopped over onto my bed, phone still held limply to my ear.

"I know," I sighed. "But it doesn't make me feel any better."

"We'll both see you in school on Monday," Tome tried to console me. "And we can all get together and do something fun next weekend, okay?"

"All right," I sighed. "See you later, then?"

"It's a promise!"

I didn't get a chance to hang up the phone before it slipped from my grasp.

_Where?_ I wondered suddenly. _Where have I heard that before?

* * *

_

"Good night, Mom! Good night, Dad!" I called to my parents, heading upstairs. "I'm going to bed early!"

"Good night, sweetheart!"

"'Night, Chihiro!" Dad added. "Sweet dreams!"

I slowed my ascent near the top of the stairs to consider this.

_I sure hope so.

* * *

_

Right before I hopped into bed, I glared at my pillow for a moment.

"All right, you," I told it. "I know we haven't been on the best of terms lately, but this is where it all ends."

I pointed an accusing finger at the flower print of my pillow case.

"I've had enough of that dumb dream—it's kept me from getting a good night sleep in over a week, and I think it was about time you dropped it. Are we clear?"

I waited patiently for a reply. When I felt as though I'd made my point, I grinned.

"Good!" I said. "I'm glad we've come to an understanding."

With that, I leapt into bed and snuggled down under the covers.

"Good night, then," I yawned. If my pillow replied, I didn't hear it—I was already asleep.

* * *

AN: Yeah, it's short. Bite me. It gets better; I promise.

Did you know that kids in Japan have school on Saturdays? Well, they do. I hope this is a valid explanation as to why Chihiro's mom was referring to her not doing her homework on a Saturday afternoon. Sorry for any confusion or brain hemorrhaging there.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Yay! More updates!

As promised, it'll start getting a bit more interesting from here on out, but it won't get to the real good stuff for another while. See if you can see what Chihiro isn't able to spot for herself in the next few chapters—and in the last few, if you like. She's being given hints, but she doesn't know what they mean yet. Doesn't mean you won't.

Enjoy, and please R&R!

—Koru-chan

* * *

Chapter Three

When I opened my eyes the next morning, for some reason I thought for a moment that I was back in my old house. But then I recognized my new room and knew where I was. I suppose it was the rain that made me think of my old home.

Yawning and stretching, I pulled myself lazily out of bed. I tried to remember what I was dreaming about—I knew I'd had one—but couldn't hold onto it. It simply slipped into the back of my mind, and refused to come back, so I let it drop.

Still sitting on my bed, I turned to my pillow and patted it affectionately.

"Good job," I told it, then got up to change.

* * *

When I came downstairs, I found that I was alone in the house. Mom had left a note for me saying that Dad would be at the office all day, and she would be back in time to help make dinner, and that lunch was in the fridge.

Groaning audibly, I wandered to the living room and flopped onto the couch, switching on the TV.

"Why's it gotta rain on the one day there's nothing else to do than go outside?" I grumbled.

It felt ironic to me that every time I was left home alone it was raining. My parents often told me not to go outside when I was alone; it made me wonder if somehow they had set it all up that way.

"You and your imagination," I scolded myself. "Like they could really make it rain."

I flipped through a couple channels, catching snippets of news, soaps, sitcoms and cartoons before stopping at a movie that had a scene with a train in it. The tracks were covered with water, and it sped along, leaving waves in its wake.

I had a sudden vision of myself giving a handful of tickets to a faceless conductor and stepping onto a train with a shadow behind me.

Blinking rapidly to clear my mind, I tried to focus on the thought and solidify it, but to no avail. It slipped away as quickly as my dreams.

Switching off the TV, I grabbed one of the couch pillows and threw it over my face. Maybe it would be easier to remember if I wasn't being distracted.

There was a sudden noise from upstairs. I pulled the pillow away from my face and listened carefully.

There it was again—like the creak of something wooden. Was someone upstairs?

_But I'm alone, _I thought._ Oh, no! What if it's a burglar?_

Creeping silently off of the couch and over to the closet beneath the stairs, I grabbed a broom as quietly as I could; knocking over the dustpan and zipping back behind the wall of the living room in case someone came down the stairs. I held my breath in wait, but no one came. I began to feel very foolish.

_This is stupid, _I chided._ How could a burglar have gotten upstairs without me noticing? All the upstairs windows are locked!_

_What if he's a really _good_ burglar?_

I swallowed hard and clutched at the broom. I heard the wooden sound again.

I tiptoed around the wall I was hiding against and out into the hall, keeping my eyes on the stairs as I made my way towards them. I made it up the stairs without making a sound, but the wooden sound was getting louder. It was coming from my room.

_At least I don't have anything worth stealing,_ I tried to think optimistically.

I crept up to my door and clutched the doorknob.

Here goes nothing…

"HAA!"

I tore the door open and dashed inside, brandishing the broomstick every which way, only to find no one there.

Panting hard and looking around, I suddenly felt very foolish, and was glad that no one else was in the house to see the ridiculousness of all that.

_I've REALLY gotta stop overreacting all the time, _I thought, sighing and sitting on my bed._ Stupid imagination._

I started when I heard the wooden noise again. It was coming from my dresser.

Mice, maybe? I wondered. Yeah; that's a nice, normal idea.

I got up and started opening drawers. The noise seemed to be coming from my top right drawer—the one where I kept all of my knickknacks. Pawing through pencils, electronics and various tiny boxes, my hand brushed my jewelry box, and the sound stopped.

"Here?" I asked of no one in particular.

Picking up the box, I took it out of the drawer and set it on top of the dresser, then unlatched the lid and opened the box. It started to play a music box lullaby as a tiny ballerina spun around in front of a plastic mirror. The song was familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on where I'd heard it before. It was nice to listen to, though.

I just stood there and listened to the music for a while. It had been a long time since I'd last heard the song—I rarely wore any of the few pieces of jewelry I owned, if they could even be called that. I had a couple bracelets of glass beads I had made with my friends in elementary school back in my old town, a necklace with a plastic butterfly on the end that my aunt had given me for Christmas when I was 8, and a handful of metal rings with glass stones.

Then a small shine caught my eye, and I tipped the box up to get a better look. Beneath the lid of the box was a small space between the actual lid and a mock lid that had been placed there. I remembered putting it there almost a year ago, but couldn't remember why. I pried it open, and out fell a thin hair tie that sparkled with some shining thread.

"Wow," I said aloud. "Why was this there?"

Looking at it my hand, I was suddenly swept away in a flood of memories.

I could remember the dream I had last night—it was like the one that I'd been having for the past week, but not scary or anything. I had been standing at the edge of a village, on a small staircase that descended into a grassy field. A boy had been there with me, and I was talking to him. I couldn't remember what I said, but I was worried, and he was trying comfort me.

When I finally let go of his hand, I turned and didn't look back. I found myself in the tunnel again, with my parents on the other end. I stopped suddenly. I wanted to turn around, I really did. But something stopped me. What was it?

My hand clutched over the hair tie in my hand. It felt as though I was squeezing the answer from it. I looked at it in wonder.

"A promise?"


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hey, all! Hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. Don't think I'll be keeping up with that rapid-fire method of updating after this entry, so don't get your hopes up for an update tomorrow. But you can expect one soon—I'm too involved now to just let it go.

It's also just occurred to me that I haven't written a disclaimer for this thing yet, so here it is: I own nothing that is owned by Hayao Miyazaki. How's that?

See you at the next update, and please review!

—Koru

* * *

Chapter Four

"Chihiro? Chihiro? Chihiro!"

"Eh? What?"

I turned to face Tome, who was seated next to me in the classroom.

"Are you okay, Chihiro? You're spacing out again!" she whispered urgently as the teacher turned to write something on the board.

"I'm okay," I said. "Just tired."

"The dream again?"

I blinked at the question, then nodded.

"Tell me about it later, okay?"

I nodded again, then rested my chin in my hand and tried to pay attention to what the teacher was telling us.

* * *

"A boy?" Nakashi repeated.

"Yeah," I said. "I think he was important."

"To you or to the dream?"

I looked at Tome. She emphasized her question by giving me an expectant look.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I can't remember. All I know is that I've had the dream before."

"When?" Nakashi asked.

"About a year ago," I told her. "When we first moved here. It was a lot longer then, though."

"Longer?" Tome repeated.

"Yeah," I said. "There were more people in it—like a witch and a mouse and pigs and a dragon…."

I ticked them off on my fingers, pausing in-between to try to recall what they had looked like. I did a pretty good job of it up until I reached the dragon. At first there was a flash of gleaming aquamarine scales moving fluidly like water, but then its wild golden eyes darkened and instead of a dragon's face, I saw a boy's. It was the face of the boy in the dream I'd been having—I was sure of it.

"A dragon?" Nakashi asked, pulling me away from the thought. "Amazing! You really do have the greatest dreams, Chihiro."

"Yeah…."

* * *

After dinner that night, I quickly took care of the dishes and ran upstairs. It didn't take me too long to remove the false lid from beneath the real lid of the box—I couldn't remember why I had put it back there; it wasn't as if I was trying to hide it from anyone, but it felt to her like I should keep it secret—and soon the hair tie was back in my hand.

I considered the shining band very closely. I knew that somehow it held the answers that my dreams didn't seem to be able to give me, but it just wouldn't cooperate. I screwed up my face in an attempt to will the answer out of the thing, but this did me no good either. A groan of exasperation split the silence of my room before I flopped onto my bed and threw my arm across my face, the tie still clutched in my fist.

"Why do I keep having these weird dreams?" I asked the inside of my arm.

I lifted my arm up and released the tie from my grip, catching it in between my fingers and twirling it in front of my face, catching sparkles in the light from my lamp.

"And why do I know that you have something to do with it?"

After a while, my arm got tired, and I lay on my side, hand still propped on my pillow and flipping the tie between my fingers. The different colors in the light it reflected from my bedside lamp were almost hypnotizing. It didn't help at all that my dreams had kept me from getting a decent night's sleep in the past few days.

I was asleep before my hand fell back onto my pillow.

* * *

_I could see my hand again. The tie wasn't in it anymore, but I could still feel it in between my fingers. _

_I couldn't control my neck; my eyes were directed explicitly at my hand. I watched as it slowly started becoming transparent, up until I could see out the other side of my elbow._

"_Stop!" I told it, frightened. As if on command, it did, and my arm faded back into existence._

_Suddenly, I saw my hand turn over and clutch a rag. I sped over the wooden floor, cleaning with other hands at my sides. Some of the other hands were funny colors; like pale purple or orange. They were all going much faster than me, and my face joined my hands on the floor when I tripped trying to speed up._

_Then I could feel water around me._

_I saw bubbles of my own air float up through the water and tasted soap in my mouth as I tried to scream. My hand was still in front of me, and I felt it brush up against something solid. In my surprise, I gasped and found that I could breathe under water._

_No longer in a panic, I watched as my hand extended into the gloom of the water to grab whatever I had felt. I felt a string in my hand and was trying to wrap it around the strange thorn-like protrusion. It was a slippery plastic or rubber, and I couldn't get the rope to hold. A second hand suddenly joined mine and wrapped it for me._

_I wasn't in water anymore. I was back on the short stone steps, a wide, grassy field at my back. I couldn't see it, but I knew it was there. My hand was now in someone else's hand. A boy's. That boy's._

_He was saying something to me. I couldn't understand. I tried so hard, but I couldn't.

* * *

_

When I woke up, I was crying.

My hand unconsciously clenched over the tie that was still between my fingers. I had felt it there the whole time.

Sniffing as I sat up in bed, I wiped my tears away and took a few breaths to steady myself before getting up.

"Weird dream," I mumbled as I went to the window and opened the blinds. There were some clouds hanging over the town, but no rain. It looked cold.

"Better take my umbrella to school today," I decided, already letting the dream slip away. My mind made the decision that I really didn't want to remember something I didn't understand but that made me so sad.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, everyone. Finals in the next two weeks, and I've been in sort of a writer's funk lately. And it didn't help at all that ff dot net wouldn't let me log on for about a week. But I've got one chapter now, and the promise of another not too far off. Can't say I'll get much more done in the next two weeks, but please look forward to a fruitful summer.

Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me this far. Sorry for the lack of action, but I've got plans, and I hope they don't disappoint.

See you at the next update!

—Koru

* * *

"How about this Sunday?"

I only half heard Nakashi. I was sitting on the grass on the school grounds, eyes wandering over the patterns the sun made on the ground through the leaves of the trees. There was something so familiar about the way they shone and flickered, like fire but harmless. Like water, but much more powerful.

"Chihiro?"

"Huh?"

"I said, 'how about this Sunday?'" she repeated patiently.

"This Sunday what?" I asked dumbly.

"My house," she said. "Aunt Miki bought me this big sewing kit when she came to visit over the weekend; said it was a late birthday present. Why don't you and Tome come over to my place this Sunday and we can try to make something with it?"

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Tome grinned, patting my shoulder. "You look like you could use a bit of fun, Chihiro."

"Yeah."

Neither of my friends sounded very convinced. I shook my head and tried again.

"I mean, yeah; that does sound like a lot of fun. What time should we come over?"

Nakashi gave me a brief look that told me she didn't buy this act, but was willing to play along if it meant my getting back to normal.

"How does 10:00 sound?"

"Sounds good to me!" I grinned again. This time it felt more real. Maybe they were right—maybe I just needed to have a little fun with my friends.

"Me too," Tome said. "I'll just ask my parents and call you tonight."

* * *

We spent the rest of recess trying to figure out what we wanted to make more—a plush toy in a nice dress, or a nice dress for ourselves. Nakashi made a joke of how not even Tome would be able to fit into a dress that small. We all collapsed into a fit of giggles.

The sadness I had felt that morning was quickly wearing off, and I had no desire to bring it back with questions about where it had come from. Maybe it really was best if I stopped paying so much attention to my dreams if it meant I couldn't be happy again.

After school, Nakashi and I took our swimming lessons, while Tome had her singing lessons. At the end of the day, we walked together until our paths separated, and I waved goodbye to them as I began my ascent home.

About halfway up the hill, I picked up on a strong scent coming from my house. Something smelled delicious.

"I'm home!" I called as I stepped inside, trading my sneakers for my slippers and stepping into the hall, following the smell towards the kitchen. "What's for—?"

"SURPRISE!"

There were two pops and confetti was flung into the air as my parents appeared from around the door to the kitchen. Both were glowing and wore pointed party hats on their heads. Above them, strung around the ceiling was a banner that said, 'Happy Anniversary.' The table was set for the three of us, and that delicious smell was getting stronger so near the source.

"Happy Anniversary, Chihiro!" Dad said, planting a party hat on my head.

"A-anniversary?" I repeated.

"It's been a whole year since we moved into our new house," Mom explained, taking my bag and setting it off to the side, then guiding me to a seat at the table. "We thought that called for a little celebration!"

"Wow," I said, eyeing the food before me. "This looks great, Mom!"

"Dig in!" Dad said, quickly following his own advice. Mom wasn't far behind.

I picked up my fork and was about to start, when I was struck with a sudden sense of déjà vu. I watched my parents help themselves to the meal they had prepared. There wasn't anything too weird about that—it's not like they were messy eaters or pigs….

_Pigs in Mom and Dad's clothes, nosing about the wide counter, searching for scraps they might have left behind. The one in Dad's clothes squealing at me when I tried to get him to stop._

"_We have to go!" I tried to tell him. "We have to get out of here!"_

_No—that wasn't my dad. Where was he? Where were my parents? Why couldn't I find them? Where were they? Where was I?_

"Chihiro?"

I looked up. My fork was still in my hand. My food was untouched. Dad had his spoon halfway to his mouth. He set it down when Mom called my name.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

I looked at my fork, at my plate, then at my parents. I swallowed hard. I suddenly wasn't very hungry.

"I'm fine," I told them. "Just not very hungry."

"Are you sure?" Mom asked, putting her fork down to press the backs of her fingers to my forehead. "You don't feel sick or anything?"

"No, I'm okay. May I be excused?"

My parents exchanged looks. Mom seemed to look pleading. Dad only shrugged.

"Of course you can, Chihiro," Mom said when she turned back to me. "Would you at least like something to drink?"

"No, thank you." I got up from the table and took my plates to the kitchen, then went quickly upstairs. I knew their eyes followed me the whole time.


	6. Chapter 6

Look! A new chapter! So soon? I must be crazy!

Nah—just had a good night. Hope to have more soon, but I kind of doubt it. Thanks to all of you that have stuck with me so far! A special shout-out goes to green fairy. Thanks, dear!

Hope you all like the next chapter. I assure you; things will start coming together soon.

—Koru

* * *

I heard my Mom's footsteps in the hall before I heard her knock at my door.

"Come in."

"Chihiro, honey?" Mom peeked cautiously in, as if she was disturbing me. I was in bed, a textbook propped in my lap. "Are you doing all right?"

"Yeah, Mom," I gave her a small smile. "I'm just a little tired."

She came in and sat down at the foot of my bed.

"Sorry I ruined your party," I said.

"Oh, no, not at all," she said, taking my hand. I gave her a look. "Okay, well, maybe just a little."

We both laughed.

"Mom?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Do you remember the drive we took from our old house to here?"

"You mean that horrible job your father did of navigating?" she said. "Who could forget? He drove us right out into the woods, remember?"

"You remember that?"

"Of course I remember that," she said. "Why wouldn't I?"

I hesitated. Did I really want to know?

Dumb question.

"What else do you remember?"

Mom frowned at me, but didn't ask.

"Well, I remember trying very hard to get your father to pay attention to the road while I tried to figure out where we were on the map—I suppose that's part of the reason we got lost. Your father is very good at distractions."

"What about me?" I asked. "Did I…er…fall asleep at all during the car ride?"

"You? Fall asleep?" Mom laughed. "You were too busy worrying about that bouquet your friend had given you as a goodbye present to even think about sleep! Now really, Chihiro, what's this about?"

I didn't answer her. _So, I didn't fall asleep? Does that mean I didn't have that dream on the way over? But I was so sure I'd had it. And I know it was then—I remember waking up in the car. But no—when did I wake up? I don't remember laying down or getting back up—not falling asleep or waking. And Mom said I didn't fall asleep. So where did my dream come from?_

"Well, I'm sure you'll tell me someday, right?"

I looked up. Mom was giving me that motherly look again.

"I promise." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Mom kissed my forehead and got up to leave.

"Goodnight, Chihiro."

"Goodnight, Mom."

She closed the door and I lay back on my pillow.

_Promise…._

Why did I keep hearing that word? It meant something. Something important. Something to do with this dream.

"Dream?"

I turned over and gazed sleepily at my dim lamp. I remembered the tiny sparkles of the hair tie I had between my fingers the night before, and suddenly I wasn't sleepy anymore.

I shot from beneath my comforter and jumped out of bed.

"Where is it!"

I picked up my pillow and patted through my blankets, but it wasn't there. I dropped to my knees and searched frantically under my bed, but it wasn't there, either.

_Maybe I put it back?_

A quick search of my drawers squashed that theory. I went over my desk top and through all of my other drawers, even going through my bedding again before I slid to the floor in despair.

It was gone. The hair tie was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Hello all! Hey, it looks like I'm back, doesn't it? I humbly beg your forgiveness for my lack of activity these long months past, but so much has been going on in my life that I've barely been able to keep track of it all, much less keep writing this story! But as you can see, I'm back on track, and we're nearing the finale. In fact, there are only two chapters left to go! Exciting, ne? Well, I like to think so.

Hope you haven't ALL abandoned me--I'm almost done! U

Now, enough with my jabberings--here's the next installment!

* * *

Chapter 7

The clouds were still there when I woke up. The sky seemed to reflect my mood perfectly—my despair at having lost my treasure was so great that it was difficult to get out of bed. I finally managed to get up when I half-heartedly convinced myself that it was just an accessory; nothing so brilliant or special as the treasure that I couldn't convince myself it wasn't.

When I came downstairs with my backpack, Mom got up from the dining room table and called to me.

"Chihiro," she said. "Come with me. I'm driving you to school today."

It was only after I could hear the light note of concern in her voice that I noticed the lines of worry on her face. But with the clouds still in my head, I didn't quite care to ask why—I didn't need to, since she explained herself as we got in the car and began driving.

"A drifter has been seen around town lately," she told me. "It was on the news last night. Some people have been complaining about stolen goods. Chihiro, are you listening to me?"

I was spared an answer as she pulled into the front of the school. As I got out of the car, I saw Nakashi and Tome. They waved to me and I suddenly remembered.

"Oh, Mom!" I turned back. "Can I go over to Nakashi's house today after school? Please?"

Mom looked at me; she seemed to be observing my sudden change in enthusiasm. At first I thought she was going to say no.

"All right," she sighed finally. "Just be careful!"

"Thank you, Mom!" I called as I shut the car door and ran off to join my friends.

* * *

School took a long time to get out. Tome and Nakashi and I passed notes between ourselves most of the time—anything to keep from being bored. My worries slipped quietly to the back of my mind as the day wore on, and by the time we were allowed to grab out bags and change our shoes, they were nearly gone. But as we stepped outside into the gloomy weather, umbrella's prepped for any sudden showers, the gloom was back.

I looked up at the cloudy sky. It reminded me of something, but I couldn't tell what. It had to do with my mood, and it wasn't about the hair tie. Someone…a name on the tip of my tongue.

"Chihiro!"

I hadn't realized I had stopped walking, but Nakashi and Tome were halfway up the hill ahead of me when I heard them calling.

"Come on, Chihiro!" Tome called to me. "Let's get home before it rains!"

"Coming!" I called back, and dashed up the hill, my thoughts scattered again.

We didn't make it back before the rain. Our umbrellas got a little wet as we came in, but not even our shoes were that damp by the time we got inside. It was warm inside, as opposed to the cold, damp air outside. We three sat by the heater while Nakashi pulled out her new sewing kit.

"So what do you think?" she asked us. "Blue or pink?"

"Pink!" Tome said.

"Blue," I chorused.

We all laughed.

"Blue it is," Tome said. "As long as you stop that sulking, Chihiro!"

"I'm not sulking."

"Not sulking?" Nakashi asked. "You've been staring out the window all day with a sad, dreamy look on your face! If that's not sulking, I don't know what is!"

I turned from them and continued leaning on the window by the heater.

"Maybe I am sulking," I sighed.

"Why?" Tome asked. "What happened, Chihiro?"

"I lost something," I said. "A special hair tie."

Tome and Nakashi both broke into another fit of laughter.

"You've been sulking all day over a hair tie?" Nakashi squeaked.

"Somebody's a little obsessive about their accessories!" Tome added.

"I am not!" I whipped around and glared at the both of them. "It was something really important, okay?"

"Gosh, Chihiro, you're making an awful big deal over it," Nakashi said defensively.

"It couldn't have been that important, could it?" Tome asked.

I stood up, furious. Not important!

"It was really important, okay!" I yelled, coming over and kicking Nakashi's sewing kit a little harder than I meant to. "A lot more important than some stupid sewing kit!"

I rushed out of the room, and ignored my friends calling after me as I kicked off my slippers and didn't bother putting on my shoes as I made for the door. It was getting harder to hear their calls, as the rain had begun to fall. It seemed to fall even harder as I opened the door.

The water was like a row of bars in front of me. I felt like something caged. I didn't like it.

I rushed out into the rain, my feet bare and without an umbrella. I was soaked to the skin within seconds. I ran and ran and ran. I didn't know where I was going; just that I had to get away. I had to ignore the rain, pounding harder and harder on me, as if trying to force me under cover. With the wind, rain and darkness against me, I was soon out of energy. Instead of making for the shelter of a roof or tree, I simply sank to the ground in a childish squat and hugged my knees, crying.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Weeeeell, I lied. This is not the second-to-last chapter, as you might have guessed...if you've read it...which actually you probably haven't yet...right.

In any case, I've just discovered that the last chapter is either going to be 12 or 13, but I've got most of them written, so you can all expect consistant updates over the next few days until it's finished.

So yeah, enjoy this rare occurrance and please comment! Thanks to those who have!

And just in case anyone forgot, I don't own any of this. Not Chihiro or her family, not Kohaku or any of the spirits, but her two friends belong to me. And that one other guy...yeah...

Enjoy!

* * *

_Why couldn't they understand?_ my voice was crying even in my mind. _Why couldn't they just see how important that tie was to me? Aren't they my friends?_

My mind closed in on that thought and I suddenly found myself staring at the pavement instead of simply focusing inside. I knew they were my friends. I knew they were my friends. But they why couldn't I shake the feeling that I had better friends? Somewhere? Someone I could really talk to, cry to, tell all my troubles to? Someone who understood the importance of the tie…someone who reminded me of water…and shadows…and radishes?

"Where are your shoes, little one?"

I gasped and turned around. In the shadow of his umbrella, I couldn't see the man's face as he stood above me. I hadn't heard him come up.

"Are you lost?" he asked when I didn't answer his first question.

I felt like shaking my head—telling him that I was perfectly fine; that I could take care of myself. But then I realized that I was lost, and that my feet hurt, and I was very cold. I needed help. I nodded slowly.

"Would you like to come with me?" he asked. "I've got someplace warm we could go and dry off."

I hesitated. I still couldn't see his face.

In the moment of pregnant silence between us, the rain seemed to come down even harder, if that was possible. It poured over his umbrella; I could see he was having trouble holding it up. Then I saw his hands. They were dirty.

It all came to me in a flash; the drifter!

I jumped up and prepared to run, but he must have seen the realization in my eyes, because he lunged at me, grabbing at my hair. I screamed.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, throwing the rain into our faces. The rain had made my hair slick, and as the man was hit full in the face with the oncoming rainwater, his hand slipped and he stumbled backwards. I bolted. I could hear him following.

I was still tired from my run earlier. There was no way I was going to outrun this guy. What was I going to do? How could I get away?

I suddenly flashed back on a similar experience, where I was being chased by something else—something big and black and dangerous like the monster following me now. Except that had been a real monster.

I didn't stop to wonder how that was possible; I just used the tactics I had used back then to weave my way between houses and through fences; over gates and under them. But I took too much time going under one gate. I felt his greasy hand grab my ankle. I screamed again but the rain was too loud—no one would hear me. The drifter must have known this too, because he didn't try to cover my mouth. Instead, he brought my face very close to his so that I could see his wildly bloodshot eyes.

"You're coming with me."


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Hi again!

Not much to say besides the fact that I am very proud of myself at having kept my updates frequent. That and thanks for the comments, for all that I would much have enjoyed some more substance. Oh, well. Beggers can't be choosers. And drifters can't be winners, as you'll soon find out!

* * *

"You're coming with me," he told me. His breath smelled rotten. My eyes watered. I couldn't tell if it was from the fear or from the stink.

"Let me go!" I screamed as he threw me over his shoulder. "Let me go! Let me go!"

I pounded at his back, but it was like beating on a big drum—I could feel the muscles under his thin and torn clothing. There was no way this guy was going to let me go unless he wanted to. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to give him hell anyways.

"Let me go!" I screamed again, kicking and hitting every part of him I could reach. "Let me go, let me go, let me go!"

Then, quite suddenly, he did. I was dropped to the pavement as the drifter was rocked backwards by something. He stumbled and looked around wildly, as if searching for something.

"Who's there?" he called out. "Who hit me? Show yourself!"

I watched as the drifter was violently knocked back again. Had the rain just...? No, it couldn't have!

"Who's there?" the drifter called again. "Come out and face me!"

Now I was sure; the rain had taken the form of a human and was fighting this man! I watched, wide-eyed despite the falling rain, as the heavier raindrops collected into the fist of the man figure and punched the drifter straight in the jaw. This time, the drifter didn't get to say anything before the next attack. And the next. And the next.

With each hit, the form that the rain took became clearer and clearer. Soon, I could see skin, hair, clothing, but it was all from the back. All I could tell was that his clothing looked very outlandish, and while his skin was pale, his hair was black.

_A water spirit!_ I thought to myself, ignoring the small part of myself that told me how ridiculous that idea was. That part had gotten a lot smaller since the rain had come together and started assaulting my attacker.

Soon, the drifter was too scared to remember what he had come up here for, and ran away,whimpering like a frightened puppy into the rain, which was beginning to let up.

I simply sat there on the road, looking up at my savior's back, unable to speak. He relaxed from his fighter's stance and stood straight. He wouldn't turn around and look at me. Why wouldn't he turn around?

The rain was getting rapidly lighter, and I allowed myself to blink, but I still couldn't speak. Then I realized that as the water was getting dimmer, so was he. He was fading away.

"No!" I cried before I knew what I was saying. I got to my feet and reached out towards him. "Wait!"

He turned and I stopped dead in my tracks.

I knew those eyes. I had been seeing them every night in my dreams since I had found the hair tie. The dragon's eyes. They were looking at me, and I couldn't breathe.

It took a couple more seconds for me to realize that he was fading quickly now. His body was practically made of smoke by the time I came to my senses.

"Wait!" I called to him. "Don't go! Don't leave me here, Kohaku!"

But he didn't listen to me. He faded away into the night. I was alone.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Look! Another update! As requested, no less!

This is so unusual for me. Probably because my usual chapters are much longer than this. All the updates you've been getting so far, including this one and the one to follow pretty much make up my usual chapter length. I like writing stories that look as though they could be put into book form. I want to become a real writer. Do you think I could?

Well, now I'm rambling! You gotta stop me when I do that! Here's the new chapter! Enjoy and please, please, please leave more constructive comments! I love that all who have posted are so eager for me to update, but I'd also like it if you told me what I might be able to improve! As an inscentive, if you guys leave me more constructive comments, I'll be inclined to write a sequal...!

* * *

The rain had stopped but I still felt flooded. I couldn't see for all of the memories flowing into my head, one right after the other.

Kohaku, Rin, No-face, Yubaba and her baby, Old Man Komaji, Granny, and all of the other friends I had made a the bath house in the spirit world. I could feel them all with me again—every single memory I had made a year ago when my dad had driven us into that abandoned amusement park returned in full force.

I suddenly looked up. The amusement park!

I took off at a run. I couldn't feel the pain in my feet anymore, and the fact that my clothes were soaked didn't bother me at all. I don't know how long it took me to get to the woods near my house, or how long it took me to make my way through them in bare feet, when every bramble and branch seemed to be working against me, but I must have been at it for an hour before I came into a clearing. There, on the ground, was the familiar stone statue of the two-faced little man, and the tunnel before him. The one I had seen in my dreams.

I tore off down the tunnel, running blindly through the dark until I emerged on the other side onto rolling grassy hills lit by moonlight. I ran across them, no longer the timid little girl I was when I'd first come here a year ago. But also unlike a year ago, there was something blocking my path to the village.

I came to a sudden halt at the edge of a great flowing river that rushed between me and the seemingly abandoned village on the other side. Looking at it, panting from all of that running, and seeing all of the lights off, as though it really were just some old abandoned amusement park, made me wonder if I hadn't lost my mind or something.

That thought just made me very angry.

"Kohaku!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Kohaku! Why can't I go back? Why won't you talk to me?"

I waited patiently for a reply, but there was no sound other than that of the flowing river and the rustle of a small breeze in the tall grass. I suddenly felt very alone.

"You broke your promise!" I accused to the open air. "You said we'd be together again soon! But you left me alone and I forgot about you! I forgot…."

I was crying again. I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't help it. I was angry, and frustrated, and scared, and sad. Why wouldn't Kohaku come back? I'd just seen him a moment ago! He'd saved my life! Why wouldn't he talk to me?

"I didn't break my promise."

I looked up. There, standing on the surface of the river as though it were solid ground, was the dragon boy in my dreams. I couldn't read his expression in the dark, but it sounded as though he were angry at something. It took me a moment to realize what he had said.

"Did so!" I shouted, standing up. "You did so break your promise!"

"I only did because you broke your promise to me."

My breath caught in my throat. What had he said?

"I didn't break my promise!" I said, remembering now what that promise had been. "I didn't look back, not once! Just like you told me!"

"But you did," he said, starting to walk forward across the water, his graceful steps making him look just like the river spirit he was. "You've looked back on us. In the past few days, you've recovered your memories and you've reached back for a world that you no longer belong to."

I didn't belong anymore? That hurt.

"You were called to the spirit world for one reason, Chihiro," as he said my name his face became clearer in the moonlight. His dragon eyes were cold, and his mouth set. I had only seen him like that once before, when we were in Yubaba's presence, and he had ordered me to call him 'Master Haku.' I had learned later that this was just an act he put on for Yubaba, but now, seeing that face again, I wondered if he hadn't been just pretending to be my friend.

"Once you had fulfilled that purpose," he went on to say. "You were not meant to stay. You are a human, and you belong in the human world."

"But why couldn't I stay?" I asked, desperate to make my argument sound as solid and convincing as his. "Why couldn't I just become a spirit and stay with all of you? I was turning into one when you found me on the shore when we first met, wasn't I?"

Haku shook his head.

"You are not a spirit," he said firmly. "You are a mortal, and you belong here."

"Stop saying that!" I cried, tears springing to my eyes again. "I've never felt more at home than I did when I was with you and the other spirits!"

I couldn't help it. I was a little girl again, and Kohaku was the one, powerful friend I had. I rushed out into the water and tried to throw my arms around him, but I went straight through him, like he was air. I splashed into the river, which was freezing cold, but I was already wet, so it didn't matter. What mattered was that Kohaku had done that on purpose. I had seen him hit that drifter—he could be solid if he wanted to. He had purposely made himself into a ghost so that I couldn't touch him. I shrunk down in the water, hugging my legs to my chest as I shivered against the current that swirled around my shoulder blades.

"I missed you, Kohaku," I said quietly. "I missed all of you so much."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Not much to say at this point. I don't own anything that is owned by Miyazaki-sama. Enjoy!

* * *

"I missed you, Kohaku," I said quietly. "I missed all of you so much."

He didn't say anything and I didn't want to turn around.

"And I was just a tool that you all used? Something to fix your bath house with, and then throw away?"

"It wasn't like that," Kohaku said. I couldn't hear any emotion in his voice. "You were guided here, because of your strength and courage. It was what we needed to fix our world, yes, but it was also to help you."

"Help me how?" I asked bitterly. My teeth were beginning to chatter. "By making me look like a crazy person? All I could talk about for months was the spirit world! The only reason I made any friends at all was because they thought I was funny!"

I sniffed a lot louder than I had intended, but it was hard to control my breathing when I was shivering.

"And now, when I found all of my happy memories again, you tell me I'm not supposed to have them…."

"You were never meant to remember what happened here," Kohaku said evenly. "Only the lessons you had learned that made you a better person."

I didn't know what to say to that.

"Come out of the water," Kohaku said. "You're freezing."

I didn't move.

"What about the tie?"

There was a pause, then, "What?"

"The hair tie," I said into the water. "It was made by all of my friends, so I could remember them. Why did I still have it if I wasn't meant to remember?"

There was another pause, but this one was longer, as if he didn't know what to say either.

"I… we let you keep it," he said finally. "Because we thought it might help you let go of us."

"Liar," I accused. I didn't know what the real reason was, but that wasn't it.

"Chihiro, come out of the water."

"What if I don't want to?" I asked. "What if I want to just sit here and wait for the next boat to come along, so I can go back to the spirit world where I belong?"

"There isn't going to be any boat," he said sensibly.

"Doesn't mean I can't wish," my voice betrayed me at the end. I didn't know now if I was crying or shivering, but it was making it hard to talk and to stay angry.

I heard the sound of soft movements through the water and suddenly hands were on my upper arms.

"Come," he said, pulling me to my feet. "You're going to get sick."

I took advantage of his solid form and twisted around as I stood so I could finally embrace him and bury my face in his shirt. Well, my original plan had been to give him a real hug, but it was all I could manage on unsteady legs and injured feet. For all that I had grown in a year, he was still taller than me.

"I missed you so much Kohaku," I said in almost a whisper. "Why didn't you come?" I felt him shift, as though his arms had been raised into the air and now they were coming slowly back down. But instead of returning the embrace, he caught me by the arms and pulled me off of him.

"This is why," he told me firmly. "You were supposed to come here, and learn, and teach us, and then leave, with all of your lessons, and leave us in peace."

"But I lost it!" I cried. I was sure I was crying now. The water on my face was warm on my cold cheeks. "I lost the band! And now I'll forget all over again and then you'll forget and I'll never see you again! Ever!"

I buried my face in my hands and felt the heat of my face, despite the chill of the rest of my body.

Then, I felt his body press against my arms, and his hands were at my back, holding me to him in an embrace of his own as we stood knee-deep in the river.

"I missed you, too, Chihiro."

It sounded so much more like him that my tears simply flooded faster, but I was laughing now.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay--this one is a bit longer than the other chapters, but only by a little. Wanna know why? Read on!

* * *

For a while we just stood there, until I felt warmer, then I moved my head so I could speak.

"Why did you say all those things, Kohaku?" I asked. "You didn't really want me to leave, did you?"

"I didn't want you to go," Kohaku said. "But I wasn't lying about where you were meant to be—you really do belong here. And you needed to forget us in order to be happy here."

"But I'm happy now," I said, hugging him tighter.

"You would have been happy anyway if you hadn't started remembering us."

I didn't like where this was going.

"You're not going to make me forget again, are you?"

Kohaku slowly pulled away and looked at me. His eyes were warm again, but still serious.

"Not if you keep your promise this time."

"How do I do that?"

"Just don't look back," he said. "Don't live for what is past when you've got a whole other world out there that could use your strength and your heart just as much as we did here, once. Don't turn your back on the mortal world to live in a dream."

I looked down. "You don't need me anymore?"

Kohaku lifted my chin with a curled finger so I would look at him again.

"I've always needed you, Chihiro," he said. "Ever since I saw you by my river, and ever since you helped me remember my name. You saved me, Chihiro."

I grabbed his hand and held it.

"If I keep my promise," I said slowly. "Will you keep yours? Will I see you again someday?"

This time, Kohaku actually smiled.

"I promise if you do," he said. "We will meet again."

"Pinky swear!" I told him, holding out my little finger. He smiled and linked it with his. We shook.

"Satisfied?" he asked.

I nodded, but my heart didn't agree.

"Then I think it's safe to leave you with this."

He pulled out of my grasp and turned my hand over so he could drop something in it. When he moved his hand, I saw my hair tie in my grasp.

"You took it?" I looked up at him.

"I thought if I did, you'd forget about it," he admitted. "But in the end it just got you into more trouble."

"Trouble you could have prevented if you'd just shown up earlier and--!"

Kohaku leaned over and kissed my cheek. I was stunned into silence.

"What's done is done," he said after he'd pulled away. His face was so close to mine I could feel his breath. It smelled like rain. "You have your memories. Keep them safe, but don't live in them. You have your own life ahead of you, Chihiro, and if you want it badly enough, it will be as great an adventure as the one you had here."

I still couldn't speak, so I nodded. I wondered if he could see my blush in the moonlight, but I hoped not.

"Now, let's get you home," he said. "They're probably out looking for you by now."

The dragon boy flew me over the forest and over the houses to the road I had run down just outside of Nakashi's house. We spotted Nakashi and Tome huddled under an umbrella just below us as we circled the subdivision.

Kohaku landed between a hedge so that no one would spot him in the dark. I hopped off his back, then threw my arms around his dragon head. He pushed back as if to nuzzle me.

"Goodbye for now, my friend," I said, and kissed his forehead.

We both pulled away and, giving me one last departing look, took off into the sky like a great silver ribbon.

"Don't forget your promise!" I called after him. I was sure he wouldn't.

"Chihiro?" I heard Tome call, soon echoed by Nakashi's voice.

"Over here!" I called back, stepping out into the open.

"Chihiro!" they shouted with relief, running over to me. "Where did you go? We've been looking everywhere!"

"I'm okay," I told them. "I just had to get away for a little bit."

They both sighed as though they had expected an answer like that. They both took my arms and sandwiched me between them protectively.

"You had us really worried, Chihiro!" Tome said.

"Yeah," Nakashi added. "We thought you'd run into that drifter!"

I laughed and they both looked at me with startled expressions.

"I don't think anyone will hear about him for a while," I told them.

For the rest of my stay at Nakashi's house, we had a lot more fun. We didn't complete the dress, but we had a lot of fun arguing over what style we wanted to make it. In the end, we decided our time would be better spent watching a movie, and that we could try to make a dress some other time.

When I got home the next day, I discovered that Nakashi's parents had told my parents about what had happened. They yelled and then Mom cried and hugged me and I was restricted to the house for the day. That night, when I went to sleep, I took the hair tie from my pocket and held it once more to the light of my lamp.

I watched the different colored sparkles as they danced over my wall and bed. The different colors seemed to show me the smiling faces of all of my friends back in the Spirit World. I gave them a big smile back, then closed my fist and the sparkles disappeared.

I went to my dresser, took out my jewelry box, folded the top over and tucked the tie back inside where I had found it.

"Goodbye for now," I told it, then closed the lid and put the box away.

When I woke up the next morning, I didn't look back.

* * *

AN: And that's it! It's over! Fin! Did you like it? Please, please leave constructive criticism! I'd really like that.

Also, if I get enough reviews, I think I'd like to write a sequal. Anything you'd want to see for Chihiro and Kohaku in the future? Simply put it in your comment or send me an email! I'd love to hear from you guys!

Tata for now! 3


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